Thesaurus
strain
verb
Synonyms and Antonyms of STRAIN
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3
to devote serious and sustained effort <the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline>
Synonyms bang away, beaver (away), dig (away), drudge, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, hustle, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work
Related Words apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in; attack, drive; essay, try; exercise, exert, overexert, overwork; eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch; trudge, wade
Near Antonyms break, ease (up), let up, slacken; bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out; bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind; dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about [British], mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle
4
to flow forth slowly through small openings <put the cooked fruit in a cheesecloth bag and let the juice strain into a pan>
5
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress <strained her memory but the name just wouldn't come to her>
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7
to put one's arms around and press tightly <the woman tenderly strained to her breast the child that she had long ago given up for dead>
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